


dúloss

by Kirta



Category: The Cycle of Arawn - Edward W. Robertson
Genre: Gen, and there is no more now, i wrote this five months ago and had no context then, idk man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23644804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirta/pseuds/Kirta
Summary: It's dark, and cold, and that special kind of silent you get when the world is covered in fresh snow. The kind of silence you can almost feel, and to break it would be a crime of some sort, you’d think. Nighttime, the sky full of stars, deep in the forest and far from any settlement built by living hands.
Relationships: Dante Galand & Blays Buckler
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	dúloss

It's dark, and cold, and that special kind of silent you get when the world is covered in fresh snow. The kind of silence you can almost feel, and to break it would be a crime of some sort, you’d think. Nighttime, the sky full of stars, deep in the forest and far from any settlement built by living hands. The camp is small, almost military in nature but lacking in the rigidity that often characterizes a true soldiers’ camp. Those within are armed and used to fighting, but have more in common with an adventurers’ band. Blays is on watch with two others. The camp is too empty and still even for this time of night- they're missing a lot of people, Dante among them.

One of the other two hears movement in the distance and waves a silent alert.

“Stay here,” Blays says. “I’ll check it out.” He slips into the shadows.

He comes upon a group of cold, shivering people and at first they don't even look familiar-

\-----

Elsewhere among the trees, Dante limps through the snow, leaning on someone else. His leg still burns but he hasn’t taken the time to heal it yet. He feels movement in the nether and straightens, pulling away from his support and readying for a fight he isn’t sure he can take. There are one or two others among the group with some talent and they feel it too.

It’s familiar, though. Dante relaxes and almost smiles.

"Blays?"

And Blays drops out of the shadows on the road ahead with an easy grin.

"Did you actually know it was me or was it just a lucky guess?"

Dante scoffs. "Of course I knew it was you."

And Blays hugs him and Dante wants nothing more than to sink into it and accept the feeling of safety, but he can't just yet. He pulls away and at first Blays resists but eventually he lets go. Blays surveys the rest of the group, most of whom are injured and visibly exhausted. 

"Is this everyone?" Dante can hear the honest surprise in his voice- it nearly is everyone missing from the camp. He had lost only half a dozen before their escape.

"Everyone who made it," one of them says bitterly, shooting Dante a look. He can feel Blays watching him but he’s too exhausted to muster much of a reaction.

"Well, you're almost back,” Blays says, pointing. “Ten minutes’ walk that way." He shoots one last look at Dante. "I should probably run back and let the others know everything is alright out here."

\-----

Blays runs back to the camp, spreads the news, and runs right back out. It’s been maybe four minutes before he finds the survivors again, but Dante isn’t among them. He asks around and they tell him Dante fell behind the rest. There are more than a few stragglers around- this close to home they've abandoned caution.

He finds Dante not far from where he left him, leaning on a boulder for support. Dante limps forward when he feels Blays approaching and hugs him again, balling his hands in Blays's cloak and burying his head in his neck. Blays holds him back just as fiercely, face in his hair and arms tight.

"Where the fuck have you been, man? It's been an entire week."

"Only a week?" Dante murmurs, and that tells Blays a whole lot about what went down in three words.

Blays is quickly supporting most of Dante's weight, and eventually they both start shivering and start back to camp. Blays is all but carrying Dante at this point, but the camp is full of people rushing out to find their missing friends so no one pays them any undue notice as they make for Dante's tent.

Blays sets Dante down and stands there awkwardly for a couple minutes. Dante stares blankly at the ground, utterly exhausted. Blays turns to leave and Dante blinks out of it and grabs his arm but can't seem to find any words when Blays looks at him in question and lets go. 

"...I'll be right back."

And he is, with food and extra blankets from his own bedroll. Dante eats mechanically and is half asleep already. He fixes his leg, more or less, and then leans into Blays.

"It felt so much longer than a week. Can only remember three days distinctly, though." He shudders and tries to lean farther into Blays, who just wraps them both in blankets and leans back. They don't have any real conversation that night, but they stay close. Dante is too exhausted to dream, which is a blessing of sorts. Blays wakes up often anyway, and each time reassures himself that Dante is in fact back.

**Author's Note:**

> i also have many questions, and few answers


End file.
